Dick Cheney on Welfare & Poverty

Vice President of the United States under George W. Bush

Bush’s call for charity not heeded by Cheney’s 2% donations

Cheney bristled at questions yesterday about donating less than 1% of his income to charity in light of Bush’s call to substitute giving for government activism. “You can disagree with that,” he told reporters about his level of giving over the past 10
years. “I thought it was appropriate.”

Charity has been an important theme in the Bush-Cheney campaign, in part as a substitute for government programs. “We must rally the armies of compassion,” Bush has repeatedly told audiences, and has proposed
expanding the permissible tax deductions for charitable contributions by those who do not itemize, as well as lifting the cap on corporate giving.

He also disagreed with the reporters’ arithmetic. While they counted only direct cash donations, he
said that noncash items doubled the amount to more than $400,000, or 2% of his income. Cheney’s aides said he had spent 30 years in public service and that only in the past 5 years had he begun earning substantial money to pass on to his children.

Source: Boston Globe, “Campaign Notebook”
, Sep 6, 2000

Voted against WIC welfare nutrition programs

He voted against the creation of the Department of Education and opposed funding for the Head Start program. He was one of only 16 House members who
voted in 1983 against a nonbinding measure to protect a nutrition program for women, infants, and children from budget cuts.

Source: Michael Kranish, Boston Globe, p. A13
, Jul 26, 2000

Raise public housing rent; pay with oil import revenue

Cheney co-sponsored the following bills in Congress:

H.R.5351 (1988):A bill to provide for maximum economic rents applicable to all residents of public housing.

H.R.1751 (1988):A bill to impose a
fee on the importation of crude oil and refined petroleum products depending on average world prices of oil and domestic consumption of oil and to dedicate 1/2 the revenues from such fee for low-income home energy assistance programs.

Source: Thomas Register of Congressional Votes
, Jan 1, 1988

Supported family services being provided by private groups

Cheney co-sponsored the following bills in Congress:

H.R.5353 (1988):A bill to make grants to establish family preservation programs. Provides assistance to families in order to prevent the placement of children in foster care.

H.R.5359 (1988):A bill to make grants to private nonprofit community-based organizations to prevent and reduce the participation of juveniles in the activities of gangs that commit crimes.

Source: Thomas Register of Congressional Votes
, Jan 1, 1988

Co-sponsored bills for workfare; for local farmer control

Cheney co-sponsored the following bills in Congress:

H.R.3200 (1988):A bill to improve the AFDC program by establishing a two-tier system, a comprehensive work program with an organized intake and registration process for such families, and
improvements in the child support enforcement program.

H.CON.RES.177 (1986): In opposition to the erosion of local control by farmer- & rancher-borrowers, and in opposition to the large-scale consolidation of the production credit associations.

Co-sponsored bills for Enterprise Zones

H.R.3597 (1986):A bill entitled, the “Indian Economic
Development Act of 1985”. Provides tax incentives for businesses in enterprise zones established on Indian lands. Provides for regulatory flexibility in such areas. Provides for the establishment of foreign-trade zone within such enterprise zones.

Source: Thomas Register of Congressional Votes
, Jan 1, 1986

Promote energy security with more LIHEAP spending.

Cheney adopted the National Energy Policy Development Group report:

The National Energy Policy seeks to lessen the impact on Americans of energy price volatility and supply uncertainty. Such uncertainty increases as we reduce America ’s dependence on foreign sources of energy. At the same time, however, we recognize that a significant percentage of our resources will come from overseas. Energy security must be a priority of US trade and foreign policy. We must look beyond our borders and restore America ’s credibility with overseas suppliers. In addition, we must build strong relationships with energy-producing nations in our own hemisphere, improving the outlook for trade, investment, and reliable supplies. Energy security also requires preparing our nation for supply emergencies, and assisting low-income Americans who are most vulnerable in times of supply disruption, price spikes, and extreme weather.

To ensure energy security for our nation and its families, our report includes these recommendations:

Dedicate new funds to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program by funneling a portion of oil and gas royalty payments to LIHEAP when oil and natural gas prices exceed a certain amount.

Double funding for the Department of Energy ’s Weatherization Assistance Program, increasing funding by $1. 4 billion over 10 years.

Support a North American Energy Framework to expand and accelerate cross-border energy investment, oil and gas pipelines, and electricity grid connections by streamlining and expediting permitting procedures with Mexico and Canada. Direct federal agencies to expedite necessary permits for a gas pipeline route from Alaska to the lower 48 states.